The present invention relates to a device for articulately interconnecting members of an exhaust line, in particular of an automobile vehicle.
Such devices are employed in the exhaust lines of automobile vehicles to permit relatively large movements between the engine of the vehicle and the exhaust line of the latter.
It is indeed known that when starting up or upon relatively sudden variations in the load on the engine, the latter has a tendency to move with respect to the rest of the structure of the vehicle and consequently with respect to the exhaust line in that the latter is fixed to the structure of the vehicle.
A number of devices known under the name of line decoupling devices have been developed in the prior art to permit overcoming the problems related to these movements and to prolong the life of the exhaust line.
Thus, devices have been developed for articulately interconnecting the members of an exhaust line, in particular of an automobile vehicle, which comprise at least one flexible conduit element interposed between the members of the exhaust line, and means for damping the relative displacement of the ends of the flexible conduit element and therefore of the members of the line, evenly arranged about the flexible conduit element and interposed between fastening elements fixed on each side of the flexible conduit element.
Such devices are for example disclosed in the documents DE-OS-2 838 990 and FR-A-2 531 914.
In the first of the aforementioned documents, the fastening elements are formed by connecting flanges which are disposed at the connecting ends of a rolled pipe, have bolts extending therethrough and are elastically connected by means of the latter through a spring element constituting a damper.
In the second of the aforementioned documents, support elements connected to the ends of the flexible conduit element constitute pockets similar to housings and are movable relative to each other, and damping cushions of compressed metallic wire are disposed in the pockets so as to form elements damping the displacement.
However, the devices described in these documents are not fully satisfactory.
Indeed, the use of spring elements does not permit decoupling in a satisfactory manner the engine from the exhaust line, so that vibrations of the engine may be transmitted to this line and result in noise and premature wear of the line.
The device disclosed in the second document has a relatively complex structure and is of relatively high cost.